Brussels (Brussels Morning) – European Parliament President Metsola emphasizes the urgent need for increased aid to Ukraine, pledges continued support, and calls for swift action in the face of ongoing conflict and devastation.
President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola has insisted Europe follow through with the aid it has pledged to Ukraine and increase support to the war-torn country. She was in Kyiv on Europe Day to satisfy Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who applauded the European efforts but said Russia had exploited delays to gain momentum on the battlefield.
Does Ukraine Have Sufficient European Support?
“We are painfully aware that Ukraine urgently needs more equipment and air-defence systems to defend itself against the aggressor,” Metsola said. Ukrainian officials and soldiers have frequently warned they lack ammunition to defend themselves against maintained Russian assaults as the war stretches into its third year. “We Europeans need to deliver, we need to take responsibility, we need to intensify our support,” she said.
Is Europe Standing Firm with Ukraine Against Aggression?
Presidents Metsola and Zelenskyy examined Ukraine’s EU accession negotiations, the upcoming Peace conference in Switzerland and the European Parliament’s support for President Zelenskyy’s 10-point peace program, air defence, sanctions against Russia and the usefulness of profits from Russian frozen assets for Ukraine’s defence and recovery.
President Metsola was awarded an Order of Merit, First Class by President Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy and Metsola spoke to the media after their meeting. President Metsola said: “The European Parliament will help Ukraine in any way possible to advance on all the necessary steps on its European path. We will remain as vocal as ever on Ukraine, as my visit today also demonstrates.”
Further, she contended, “This year marks 20 years of the accession of my home country, Malta, and along with it, nine other Member States, to the European Union. I have seen the transformative impact of the European Union enlargement. The opportunities and protection that come with it. Today the people of Ukraine are peeking into Europe, with the same sense of hope and belief in our common destiny that we had then, Europe cannot be the one to look away. We will stand with you. You will win and our future will be a familiar one. Slava Ukraini!”
Is European Aid Meeting Ukraine’s Urgent Needs?
In Kyiv, President Metsola visited a school and a power plant, both devastated by Russia’s ruthless air strikes. The indiscriminate targeting of civilian infrastructure reveals the urgent need for more efficient air defence systems and allocation for reconstruction. In her remarks to the press with President Zelenskyy, President Metsola expressed:
“We are bitterly aware, that Ukraine urgently needs more equipment and air defence systems to defend itself against the attacker. We Europeans need to deliver. We need to make a commitment, intensify our support and provide financial support. This is why our decision on the EUR 50 billion Ukraine Facility was so necessary. And I also welcome the more recent American decision to deliver vital and significant financial and military backing to Ukraine. Together, this delivers a predictable and secured financing to fulfil the State’s needs and the demands of its reconstruction efforts.”
President Metsola also preached at the International Summit of Cities & Regions, along with President Zelenskyy, Chairman Stefanchuk and Prime Minister Shmyhal, underlining the function of cooperation between regions and cities in Ukraine’s reconstruction. In her address, she thanked European cities and regions for having made important contributions to the Generators of Hope campaign, started by the European Parliament, as well as the significance of cities and regions in welcoming Ukrainians who had to flee the war.
